good morning. great to have you with me. i'm thomas roberts. is tuesday, march 4th. welcome to "way too early." the show that wants to lead with rob ford every day but is experimenting about with dlat gr -- delayed gratification until he works out the tie thing. no sign of agreement or easing over russian's invasion of crimea. putin is expected to speak at any moment now. in a first swing of reaction the u.s. has ended all military relations by the kremlin. estimate that 6,000 troops in the peninsula area and ballooned to 16,000 russian troops. for all intents and purposes they control that area. ukraine's navy in crimea sang together in defiance and crews were ordered to surrender or be stormed and claims that moscow

denies. ukraine is mobilizing 130,000 troops but it would be badly outmatched with russians. there are concerns not just in crimea but in the east where protests have turned deadly. 11 cities have seen protesters and some have stormed buildings. little appetite for the u.s. or europe to get involved militarily. >> what could not be done is russia with impunity to put its soldiers on the ground and violate basic principles that recognized around the world. and i think the strong condemnation that it's received from countries around the world indicates which russia is on the wrong side of history on this. >> we can exit out economic sanctions. there is a broad array of options that we have.

why do we care? because this is the ultimate result of a factless foreign policy where nobody believes in america's strength any more. >> ian williams is joining us from a foggy kiev this morning. kerry is landing there in an hour and entering a diplomatic hornet's net. what do we know on his agenda today? >> reporter: good morning, thomas. the secretary of state will land here into a very foggy and drizzle be kiev about an hour and a half from now. primarily as a show of support for ukraine's interim government. he'll be meeting government leaders. he also will be going to parliament here. at which protesters have already been gathering and urging the government and john kerry to take a tough line against moscow. we are probably going to hear tough words. certainly there will be some pretty combative recognize r ii john contrary.

the ukrainians are keen to see what he can put on the table and what support there might be for an economy here which is in free-fall. his visit, of course, coinciding with the visit from the imf looking at ways to rescue the beleaguered economy. certainly they will be looking to see what sort of firm spo support, what measures kerry can put behind the strong words we have seen so far. >> nbc news ian williams, thanks so much. he mentions there about the economy that is happening in ukraine, also in russia this entire ordeal has shane the markets. the ripple effect can be felt after dropping 150 points yesterday. "the financial times" in europe says it all. the economic fears has sent russia exchange in a tail spin and down 11% in a day of trading. jeff is live for us in london of cnbc. we know of putin's love of

mobile is the fact the ruble is rocked is any indication that putin would change his strategy on the type of aggression shown in ukraine? >> it's fascinating how the markets have responded here because the risk of urgent trade dominated the market activity yesterday and you've got to imagine that this has brought to bear some pressure on the kremlin perhaps to have a rethink about the policy towards kiev. we had that dramatic fall in the russian stock market wiping out some $60 billion. we have seen the rubel falling from the start of the year. that increasing the pressure on the russian economy and those economists we're talking to who are now saying they think this could drive the russian economy into a recession or something of a slow down for the year 2014 if

this crisis doesn't end sometime soon here. the next stage is if we continue to see a ratcheting up of tensions, what lieutenant u.s. and other western powers do to increase economic sanctions on russia. at this stage a very modest response. you got to believe part of the reason for that about a quarter of europe's gas comes from russia and the europe banking system has led into russia in excess of $130 billion. there is some exposure into the russian economy for europe. the u.s. is in a slightly different position here and it will be interesting to hear if obama starts talking about asset freezes, visa restrictions, and some form of trade sanctions. that's where we go next here but something of a relief rally at the moment in markets as they think that maybe tensions are starting to ease somewhat. back to you. >> jeff, thanks so much.

appreciate it. back at home, president obama has delayed key parts of his landmark health care law. new reports he may announce another major delay perhaps to ease midterm pressure on democrats? the hill is citing sources saying the white house will announce as early as this week that insurers can continue offering plans that don't meet minimum coverage standards. this move is expected to prevent another wave of policy cancellations expected to happened around the time of the midterm elections and when democratic candidates are going to be the most vulnerable. the president's budget plan is set to be relieved today setting up another battle how the government should aid the poor and help jobless americans. the president is expected to expand by eliminating tax breaks for the wealthiest americans and the president is expected to propose billions in manufacturing and job training and education and along with 28 billion for defense programs. house budget chair paul ryan is working on his own plan and

shore up spending in part by overhauling the welfare system and the plans are expected to be miles apart. yesterday, ryan issued a 200-page document. israeli prime minister netanyahu is once more pushing back on u.s. diplomatic efforts and sitting next to president obama he inserted that israeli would never compromise on security and would defend itself at all costs. the comments in in lights of u.s. attempt to broker peace deals with palestine a. meanwhile, the apac conference is going on across the town and a platform drawn speakers like secretary of state john kerry, conservative republicans like ted cruz have used this event to accuse president obama of being tougher on netanyahu than putin in ukraine. despite rumors around washington to the contrary, john boehner says he is planning to stick around as house speaker.

the republican congressman from ohio yesterday filed re-election papers for the top post and he doesn't sound worried about his prospects selling "the cincinnati choirer" it won't be close and thinking i'm in better shape with my own caucus than the last three years and i think they understand me better. apparently not well enough to get an invite to speak at c-pac this year. he was snubbed by the conservative conference with organizers saying they wanted the event to focus on conservatives at the grassroots level. today is day two of the murder trial for oscar pistorious in south africa. the man known as blade runner arrived at court a short time ago and the trial was briefly suspended after a news channel aired a witness who testified yesterday and a stern warning from the judge that the neighbor described the horrifying moments when apparently reeva steinkamp was shot. >> just before the gunshots, it was blood curdling.

it was something that leaves you cold. it's something you can't portray in the court. you can't explain it. you just know that woman's life was really threatened. >> pistorious says steinkamp's death was a tragic accident. his lawyer read a statement where he thought steinkamp was still in bed when he started shooting at the bathroom and she was inside the bathroom. crews used a crane yesterday to pull corvettes from a 30-foot sinkhole that swallowed them up last month. the first car was a 2009 blue devil dr 1 and just minor damage. line broken in the window and an oil leak. cheers rang out as the corvette was able to rev up just moments after it was rescued. see that lights on and everything? there were even more cheers when a worker drove it about 20 feet to make sure the corvette was

okay. the second car out would was a 1993 ruby red corvette that marked corvette's 40th anniversary and the car is unfortunately in worse shape and needs new windows and body panels. but should be repairable. a black corvette will be rescued next and could happen as early as today. a tv commercial movie trailer is costing a few media giants more than they budgeted for. >> most protected building on earth has fallen. >> i'm the man in control of your white house. >> this is one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. >> open the gates of hell. >> oh, my god. >> today, we make our stand. >> >> you may have noticed the emergency warning tones and the text this is not a test.

it turns out the fcc frowns upon that and it's going to cost the stations that aired the ad nearly $2 million. we know what other commercials should face fines? the ones you see all of the time. create your own answers and we will put the best answers coming up later on the show. but don't talk about the commercials that air right after this break. we like those. we really do. still ahead on "way too early," a career night for lebron james. the jaw-dropping numbers he put up last night against the bobcats. also is there anyone who doesn't love brian williams? apparently, there is a young baby that doesn't. how brian reacted to what may be his most vocal adversary. that story and a check on the weather when we come back. the baby edition. >> deteriorated in its implementation into trading arms

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join today at angieslist.com head to miami where lebron james made history last night and still washing that protective mask after breaking his nose. this time it's a bit less menacing because it's clear plastic instead of the black mask he had on. he dropped 61 points against the bob casts and a franchise record and a personal best. the second highest scoring game in the nba this season. carmelo anthony scored 62 also against the bob casts. last night's final 124-107. >> i just had it going. i shot a lot but when you get to a zone, you know, i threw one up there from 30 feet, you know? you know, i just try to keep the same routine. but like i said once you get into a zone, you feel like

you're shooting -- >> in other nba news. jason collins is expected to sign a contract extension with the brooklyn nets tomorrow. collins is the first active openly gay professional athlete in one of the four major sports leagues. many expects collins to sign for the season after the new contract expires. college hoops for a thriller in chapel hill. number 14 north carolina against unranked notre dame. second half unc trailing by one and james mcadoo sends a turnaround jumper to give the tar heels the lead. notre dame had a chance to come back in the closing seconds but a block seals the win for the tar heels. 63-61. a regional title game between ripen and the la conia high schools in wisconsin. look. the final seconds of the game. pretty good, right? that buzzer-beater,

three-pointer is good for the win. fans go crazy! it's just spring training but the dawn of a new era in major league baseball. instant replay was used for the very first time. toronto manager john gibbons challenged a play after ump called a minnesota base runner safe. after video replay showing the ump made the right play. the replay were used three times yesterday and the ump got the upper hand. here is a check on the forecast with meteorologist bill kari karins. we do not re-air his forecast. >> good thing. for the tenth time i'm telling you today is the coldest morning we have until next winter. >> the boy who cried wolf. >> yes. have you seen these pictures from niagara falls? >> i have. >> crazy. this time of the year this is spectacular images. we are like negative 20 every morning to get like this. yeah, it is gorgeous.

when it warms up it will probably be better to go watch it. as far as this morning goes, we have already set records. i saw baltimore was 5 degrees before midnight last night tying your all-time coldest march temperature. atlantic city was 2 degrees and that tied your all-time coldest march temperature. it's exceptionally cold. the big cities aren't too bad at 13 and amazing i'm saying 13 is not too bad but many of the suburbans are down to negative windchills. you don't get windchills like this in march. we are cold all the way back to kansas city. it's not just isolated. everywhere east of the rockies temperatures well below average. last night, we had sleet and freezing rain from san antonio to houston to brian, texas, to austin. still a coating of ice now right along and north of i-10 down along the gulf. that happens maybe in mid january, not march. it's mardi gras today down there in new orleans. 47 with rain. that's not fun! >> not fun at all. >> give me bead, i'll put shirts

on! >> i'm sure they will numb themselves in their senses and be just fine. bill, thanks. we are going over the options that the u.s. and its close allies are considering in response. when we come back here we are going to huddle around the water cooler where jimmy kimmel's guest huddled around the water cooler. our fair haired son of l.a. has come home to roost. we look forward to this. [ male announcer ] staples has everything you need to keep a germ-free office. from latex gloves and antibacterial wipes to steam cleaners, keyboard vacuums and microfiber cloths. yes, staples has everything you need for a germaphobe-friendly office... [ sneezes, coughs ] except germ-free coworkers. [ retches ] thousands of products added online every day... [ click ] even protective suits. [ sneezes ] now get 15% off your cleaning supply purchase.

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top of the show we talked. president obama's budget which is set to be relieved today. if you want to sound smart tell your friends the proposal would give americans a tax cut in addition the plan expands the earned income tax credit to people from ages 21 to 67 a move that the white house hopes would lift nearly 500,000 people out of poverty. time to welcome back louis from l.a. to the cooler. did you have a good time? >> i did. i appreciate all of your support out there and i know you missed me so that made me feel good. the interview jimmy kimmel has been dreaming of ever since he came on the scene. toronto mayor rob ford. ford was pretty much on his best behavior. >> no offense to our mayor but i

want to show you some things. our mayor is a great guy. he is an excellent mayor but this is eric gardsetty. supporters at a picnic of some kind. there is you. there is eric holding someone's baby. there is rob ford holding someone's baby! there is eric enjoying a baseball game. there is rob ford enjoying a sporting event. you are sweating a lot. let me get you some tissues here. >> no, we are good. >> do you mind if i dab you, mr. mayor? auction there off on ebay afterwards. actually, i'll take a dna on this tissue and have a whole army of you here in l.a. >> the contrast is striking. just like that red tie he is wearing. >> i know. was as red as his face. he is sweating and needs some powder. did you see him out there? >> i didn't. if i did, i would have loved to snag a little interview question

here and there and maybe a red carpet interview but no go on that. brian williams is one of the most popular news personalities out there these days but as seth myers points out, not everybody is a huge fan. >> today it came up online a video of someone who might not be a huge fan of yours. let's take a look at that real quick. >> yeah. >> are you watching the news? are you watching the news with our brian williams? there he is. there is brian williams. >> the situation. >> dude, what is wrong? you don't like brian williams? oh, let's turn it off. let's turn that off. uh-oh. it's brian williams! he's gone! gone. it's just a hurricane now! >> you are not appealing to the

younger kids. what is happening? as a father of two, he is being goated by the dad. >> right. >> unless, you know, diane sawyer put a baby in front of the tv and is using a low voice. >> brian williams making babies cry, thomas. now the brutal winner has been tough for a lot of us and television reporters may have it worse than most. we have to get out there in the elements and describe the harsh conditions. not us actually. bill karins does. check out this local philadelphia reporter. his name is steve killy. it looks nasty as a snowplow buries him in the middle of his report. look at a longer version of this clip and tells a slightly different story. >> we are in woods town. only one philly brorn a lly bor here known as hilly had only one summer with the phillies. there goes one of the plows demonstrating what i said. what i said, hitting us. there you go. here comes another one. >> steve!

>> four plow trucks. four plow trucks and you can see i'm still snow covered. that is the beauty of breaking news. >> tough as nail, that guy. >> he is an intrepid supporter. i don't know if phil could survive that. >> do you think the guy in the third truck -- >> they planned that out and loving it. >> a little too perfect. he stayed up. the camera guy stayed up too. >> very poised and confident. >> we thought you were giving up residency here in new york. >> maybe. good to be back. >> see how good it is to be back? he walks right off in the wake of a fine for a movie commercial, we want to know the commercials you think should face fines. hopefully, louis was getting in position to dance for us. bring it! "morning joe" just moments away. i used to scrub the floor on my knees.

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told you you couldn't pick any that air during "way too early" or "morning joe.." >> a lot of people said anything with a dancing gecko. if you're a reptile, i guess for some. any ad for rush limbaugh. >> i was out walking the dogs this week. crunch a bunch. the new chicken enchiladas. >> it's changing the game. >> what would jared do? that is a tuesday edition of "way too early." "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ good morning. it's tuesday, march the 4th. march, march, march. it's springtime, willie. man, it feels like it out there. >> 9 degrees. >> so cold. so cold. >> i think this morning was the coldest morning of the year. at least it fel